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CROSSFIT MONCTONJanuary 2010

WHY FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS?by Kevin Wood

There are three cornerstones to the CrossFit methodology: Constantly varied, functional movements, performed at a high intensity.

We all know why high intensity works. Imagine if we did Fran, but instead of going as fast as we can, we did it in 45 minutes. Probably not going to see results.

Now, what if we did Fran every single day? BORING! And not only that, you’d get really good at thrusters and pullups, but everything else would suffer. Your deadlift

would drop and rowing would decrease, for example.

So, let’s define what are functional movements.

First off, they are essential to independent living. What puts a person in a nursing home? When they lose their ability to perform daily tasks, like squatting (sitting and standing) or deadlifting (picking up groceries).

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Functional movements are safe and compound. Our body uses more than one joint in real life. Run, jump, throw, kick, pick something up...it’s with your whole body. So that’s why we train that way. We don’t sit on a machine and isolate one muscle group.

The movements are prehistoric. Nobody invented the squat. It’s just the way our body moves to a lower position. On the other hand, somebody DID invent the ‘behind the back wrist curl’. Somebody can claim ownership of that (although I don’t know why they’d want to).

We use movements that require mid-line stabilization. Imagine loading up a bar with your max back squat. Now, instead of maintaining a tight core, let it go loose. Try

squatting it. Ok, don’t really, because you’ll probably hurt yourself.

Lastly, functional movements elicit power. The force you lift multiplied by the distance it travels divided by the time it takes is power output. A deadlift, clean, or squat can generate a tremendous amount of power compared to a leg curl or bicep curl. Don’t believe me? Do the math.

In the end, you’ll also get a bang for your buck in your workouts. Try 10 biceps curls as fast you can. Then, try 10 squats as fast as you can. Which one was tougher? Which would work more muscle groups? Which will help you later in life? I think the answer is clear, and that is why we do functional movements at a high intensity.

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Great resources!With all of the nutritional

information out there, i t ’s

difficult to comprehend or

believe any of it. Everything that

I present to you is my opinion

that I formed from reading many

sources. I’d like to share with

you some of those sources and

allow you to decide for yourself.

Books:

G o o d C a l o r i e s , B a d

Calories by Gary Taubes (a

longer, very scientific read, but

filled with a ton of useful

information)

P o l i t i c a l l y I n c o r r e c t

Nutrition by Michael Barbee

(helping to find the reality

amongst a l l the indust ry

propaganda)

A Week in the Zone by

Barry Sears (gives you a quick

run-down of the diet with lots of

examples)

The Hundred Year Lie by

Randall Fitzgerald (discusses

the effect of chemicals in food

production that are the cause of

many illnesses and diseases)

The Paleo Diet by Loren

Cordain (a book that describes

how we used to eat before the

agricultural age)

Websites:

Underground Wellness -

Sean Croxton hits up various

health and food related topics

http://www.youtube.com/

user/UndergroundWellness

Mark’s Daily Apple - great

articles on primal living in a

modern world

http://

www.marksdailyapple.com/

Robb Wolf - a former

research biochemist that details

intermittent fasting, fitness and

paleolithic nutrition

http://robbwolf.com/

Films:

Fat Head

Our Daily Bread

Food Inc.

Fast Food Nation

Fresh

I hope you take some time

to look at some of these

resources. If you have any

questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

NUTRITION

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Ingredients:

2 cups packaged coleslaw mix

1 unpeeled tart apple, chopped

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped green pepper

¼ cup flaxseed oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon celery seed

Directions:

• In a bowl combine the coleslaw mix, apple, celery and green peppers.

• In a small bowl, whisk remaining ingredients.

• Pour over coleslaw and toss to coat.

http://www.thepaleodiet.com

HONEY APPLE COLESLAW

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One strong dude... Tim is not one to brag. Actually, you’ll never hear him shouting celebratory words after attaining a personal record. He comes in to the gym and does what needs to be done.

Pierre and Tim work together just down the street. If you hadn’t noticed, Pierre is a little addicted to CrossFit, and would talk to Tim about it all the time. Looking at the website, the workouts looked impossible for Tim. But, after some prodding from Pierre, Tim finally gave in and dove head first into CrossFit Moncton.

He started slow, just like most b e g i n n e r s . P u l l u p s w e r e substituted with ring row at his shoulder height. Situps were

anchored with dumbells. That didn’t bother him. He wasn’t there to compete with anyone but himself.

A f ter a few months, that personal competition has paid off . Not only is he doing unanchored situps in workouts, he’s also up on the pullup bar!

His lifts have been skyrocketing and workout times have been plummeting.

Everyone at the gym has been w i tness ing a t remendous transformation. Tim not only looks better, but feels better as well.

Congratulations Tim on all of your accomplishments! You shou ld be ve ry p roud o f everything you’ve attained!

Stats

-CrossFitting since July/09-Deadlift:290#-Press:165#-Back Squat:305#-Push Jerk:215#-FGB:282

TIM RODGERS

See the bar bending?

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Interested in joining?

Come try a FREE workout on Saturday morning at 9am. Leave your money at home. We don’t want to sell you anything; we just want you to feel the difference CrossFit can make.

Contact Kevin Wood at crossfitmoncton@hotmail.com to confirm your FREE session, or call (506) 961-0710.

CROSSFIT MONCTON94 Rideout Street

Moncton, NB